1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to social networking, and more particularly to social network device memberships, resource allocation, and related services and communications.
2. Related Art
The popularity and growth of social network sites and services has increased dramatically over the last few years. Existing social network sites include Facebook, Google+, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flicker, Jaiku, MYUBO, Bebo and the like. Such social networking sites are typically organized around user profiles and/or collections of content accessible by members of the network. Membership in such social networks is comprised of individuals, or groupings of individuals, who are generally represented by profile pages and permitted to interact as determined by the social networking service.
In many popular social networks, especially profile-focused social networks, activity centers on web pages or social spaces that enable members to communicate and share activities, interests, opinions, status updates, audio/video content, etc. across networks of contacts. Social networking services might also allow members to track certain activities of other members of the social network, collaborate, locate and connect with former acquaintances and colleagues, and establish new connections with other members.
While social networks are usually comprised of individuals, members might also include companies, restaurants, political parties and event profiles that are represented in a like manner to human members (e.g., profile pages accessible by members of a social network). Individual members typically connect to social networking services through existing web-based platforms via a computing device and/or mobile smartphone. Smartphone and games-based mobile social networking services are other rapidly developing areas.
Social media is often utilized as a method of facilitating a variety of social interactions. When a person meets someone in a social or business setting, for example, that person may desire to exchange a variety of contact information. In addition, a person may desire to provide differing sets of information to different acquaintances (e.g., business contacts, family members, friends, and visitors). Such contact information may include one or more of a person's phone numbers, email addresses; and web page addresses, twitter handles, blog addresses, social network (SNET) handles, VoIP/video call handles, etc. When a change occurs to contact information, it is presently very difficult to convey the information to all other members and member devices, both within and without social networks.
Often, a visitor to a location, network, or the like is granted access to a location, business network, and possibly to a social networking environment, cloud applications, or cloud media content. Such grants are often virtually unlimited in duration and scope. In addition, a social group has a variety of mechanisms for establishing contact with another member, member device, or member device service, including, for example, telephone numbers, IP or other routing addresses, VoIP/video call handles, twitter handles, other SNET handles, blogs, web page addresses, email addresses, etc. When a change the above occurs, it may be difficult to convey the information to all other members and member devices.